Word
turk
Phoneticsturk
/ˈtɝk/
Definitions
01person from Turkey
n. a person from the country of Turkey.
n. a citizen or native of the Republic of Turkey.
“My new neighbour is a Turk who moved here from Istanbul last year.”
“The delegation included a prominent Turk who had spent decades working in international diplomacy before returning to Ankara.”
02ethnic group
n. a member of a group of people who speak Turkic languages, found in parts of Europe and Asia.
n. a member of any of the various peoples who speak a Turkic language, such as Tatars, Kazakhs, or Uzbeks.
“Historians study how the ancient Turks moved across Central Asia.”
“The museum exhibit traces the migration patterns of the early Turks and their influence on the cultural landscape of the steppe.”
03fierce person
n. a very cruel or violent person.
n. a person perceived as bloodthirsty, savage, or cruel; historically used as a derogatory ethnic stereotype.
“In the old story, the villain was described as a cruel Turk.”
“The 18th-century manuscript uses the term 'Turk' as a generic label for any individual the author deemed uncivilised or violent.”
Archaic
Synonyms
04related to Turkey
adj. another word for Turkish.
adj. synonymous with Turkish or Turkic in certain historical or technical contexts.
“The museum has a beautiful collection of Turk carpets.”
“The scholar examined several Turk dialects that had remained isolated in the mountain regions for centuries.”
Archaic
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English Turke, Turk, from Old French Turc, from Medieval Latin Turcus, from Byzantine Greek Τοῦρκος (Toûrkos), from Classical Persian تُرْک (turk), from Middle Persian [script needed] (twlk' /turk/), from Old Turkic 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰜 (t²ür²k̥). See Proto-Turkic *tür(ü)k for more.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Idioms
out-paramour the Turk — To have many romantic affairs.
young Turk — A young person who agitates for political or other reform; a young person with a rebellious disposition.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/turk